Hollidge Seeks Mid-Atlantic WoO LMS Wins

CONCORD, N.C. – It’s not likely that Dale Hollidge will ever forget his World of Outlaws Late Model Series victory last season at Winchester Speedway, but if he ever does, it probably won’t take very long before someone reminds him of it.

Nearly a full year after pulling off one of the biggest upsets ever on the national tour, Hollidge, 25, of Mechanicsville, Md., rarely makes it through an entire race night at one of his local tracks without someone bringing up the biggest moment of his young career.

“It’s kind of crazy how people still talk about it,” said Hollidge, whose surprise victory came in his first WoO LMS A-Main start and marked just his fifth career Late Model win. “We get people nearly every night that’ll come by the car and say ‘Hey, there’s that guy that won the World of Outlaws race last year.’ Fans, other drivers, someone always mentions it.”

Hollidge will attempt to play the starring role in another unforgettable moment this weekend when the WoO LMS returns to the Mid-Atlantic region for a blockbuster three-race weekend. Action kicks off Thursday evening at Delaware International Speedway in Delmar, Del., for the Fulton Bank 50 that was rescheduled from a May 29 rainout.

On Friday, the WoO LMS returns to Hollidge’s home track of Potomac Speedway in Budds Creek, Md., for the first time since the track hosted its only previous series event in 2004 before heading back to the site of Hollidge’s career-defining victory from last season for Saturday’s race in Winchester, Va.

“That’s by far our biggest win,” said Holllidge, who after originally planning to enter all three weekend events recently decided to focus his efforts on the races at Potomac and Winchester. “You never know if you’ll have another opportunity to win a race like that, but I’m looking forward to trying to do it again and seeing what we can do against the Outlaws. I guess we proved we could run with them before, so you never know.”

No longer able to fly under the radar as a relatively unknown underdog, Hollidge feels some extra pressure to perform well in this weekend’s events due to his stellar performance a year ago. But that doesn’t bother Hollidge, who has handled elevated expectations quite well so far this year in putting together his winningest season since making the move to Late Models in 2009.

Hollidge has recorded six victories between Potomac and Winchester this season. His two Potomac triumphs came in special events with a $3,000 victory in the track’s season-opening Cody Endicott Memorial in March and a $2,500 triumph in April’s Vernon Harris Memorial. His four victories at Winchester include a $3,500 payday in May for his first-ever victory on the Three State Flyers regional tour.

“It definitely adds some pressure after you win one of those big ones, even on a regular week,” Hollidge said. “You win an Outlaws race and now you’re expected to perform good all the time. It definitely adds some pressure anywhere you go, but I don’t mind it. I think it gives me the drive to work hard.”